If you’ve been looking for the consummate healthy cookie recipe, this is it! These thick, chewy, and goodie-packed low calorie Oatmeal Cookies are made from wholesome ingredients, yet they taste like a true treat!
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5 Star Review
“I was looking for a healthier oatmeal cookie when I found this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly and the cookies came out amazingly good. Very moist and so tasty. My husband and daughter loved them!”
— Laura —
Soft, chewy, and made with whole grains and a slew of chunky mix-ins, these are the best healthy cookies you’ll ever bake.
I highly recommend them for all of your sweet treat and pick-me-up snack moments.
While I am all for the full-on indulgence of a regular oatmeal cookie every now and then (these perfect classic Oatmeal Cookies are my favorite recipe), it’s nice to have a trusted collection of healthy desserts on hand for when you need them.
These nutritious oatmeal cookies are one of the most popular healthy cookie recipes online and have become a tried-and-true reader favorite.
They’re great anytime you need healthy cookies for kids, are trying to lose weight but don’t want to give up cookies (I hear you!), or you just want to feel a little bit better reaching for that second (or third) cookie.
Plus, they taste absolutely scrumptious!
Secrets to Baking the Best Healthy Oatmeal Cookies Recipe
It doesn’t get much more delightfully old school than an old fashioned oatmeal cookie.
Thus, it feels especially appropriate that I used one of the oldest healthy baking tricks in the book when developing the recipe: applesauce.
- Replacing half the usual amount of butter with applesauce still keeps the oatmeal cookies plenty moist, without the need for extra fat.
Next, I wanted to see if I could sweeten the healthy oatmeal cookies without sugar. Honey did the trick!
- In addition to being a more wholesome alternative, honey’s homey, comforting flavor is a classic and lovely combination with the oatmeal.
Oatmeal Cookie Mix-Ins
Now, we need to talk about one of the more divisive oatmeal cookie topics: raisins.
I know that a healthy oatmeal raisin cookie recipe would have been the *most* traditional route, but I simply could not do it.
Far better is a healthy oatmeal raisin cookie WITH CHOCOLATE.
I love my oatmeal cookies fully loaded, which is why to go along with the raisins, you’ll find melty dark chocolate chips and chunky toasted nuts too.
I adore the overall effect the range of mix-ins gives these healthy oatmeal cookies.
We have the crunch and warmth of the nuts and the sweet chew of the raisins, and I don’t think I need to tell you that if you stack an oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips next to an oatmeal cookie without, one of them is going to be the clear crowd favorite.
Recipe Variations
- For healthy oatmeal cookies banana edition, don’t miss my Banana Oatmeal Cookies, this recipe’s different but equally delicious cousin.
- For healthy oatmeal peanut butter cookies, you can bake Monster Cookies, which have a peanut butter oatmeal cookie base, but use raisins, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts for the mix-ins instead. Or, try these Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies. YUM!
- For oatmeal cookies with a festive twist, try these Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies, Apple Oatmeal Cookies, or Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies.
Dietary & Substitution Notes
- Do not swap all of the fat in this recipe for applesauce. The modest amount of butter is key to the healthy oatmeal cookies’ texture and keeps the cookies from being excessively cakey.
- If you are seeking healthy oatmeal cookies no flour (meaning no wheat flour in order to make the cookies gluten free), I’d suggest using a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend like this one in place of the wheat flour. Make sure your oats are certified GF also.
- If you’d like the healthy oatmeal cookies vegan, you can swap said butter for a vegan butter substitute (my recommendation for that buttah flava) or coconut oil. Use maple syrup in place of the honey
How to Freeze These Cookies
These healthy oatmeal cookies are highly freezer friendly.
If you anticipate craving cookies in the future (who doesn’t?), you can either double the recipe and freeze half or bake only the oatmeal cookies you think you’ll eat in the next day or two right away, then freeze the remaining dough for fresh-baked healthy oatmeal cookies on demand.
^^Between you and me, I can’t believe that I actually had enough self control to freeze some of the dough versus baking and eating every single cookie immediately, but I am certainly happy that I did!
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup well chopped raw walnuts or pecans (in this recipe, we usually go for pecans, but both are delicious) or an additional 2 tablespoons chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons raisins
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, butter, egg, vanilla, and honey. Whisk until blended.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until combined. The dough will be wet and sticky.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, raisins, and walnuts. Place in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator (if it is very stiff, you may need to let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes).
- With a cookie scoop or spoon, drop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and arrange on the baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space around each. With your fingers, gently flatten each cookie to be about 3/4-inch thick.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and firm around the edges and set on top, about 9 to 10 minutes.
- Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Leftover cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- I recommend quick oats for this recipe, as they yield a more tender cookie. You can use regular rolled oats, but they will have a heartier consistency.
- To make gluten free: you can experiment with oat flour (I haven’t tried this yet, but I would suggest swapping 1 1/4 cups oat flour for the white whole wheat flour) or use a 1:1 GF baking blend instead of the wheat flour.
- To make vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey. For the egg: I haven’t tried this with a flax egg instead of the regular egg yet, but I’d love to hear how it goes if sometime does play around!
Can I not refrigerate it?
Hi Chloe, if you are asking about storing them, this is what we recommend: Leftover cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Hope this helps!
I followed the recipe apart from vanilla that I didn’t have and reduced the honey by 50g because I thought it was a lot. The result were super dry cookies. I don’t know if the reduction of honey is the reason for the dryness, but I won’t make these again.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, Emily. We recommend using the full amount of ingredients to get the flavor and texture intended. Hope this helps!
Why would you NOT do the recipe correctly then give a bad review? I give you ONE STAR for not following directions!!
Hi I tried the recipe and was ok but preferred something more crispy. Any other healthy recipes like this that produces crispier cookies?
Thanks
Hi Tricia, most of my cookie recipes are soft and chewy but there are ways to make them have a more crisp like texture. Spread them out thinly and bake for a minute or two longer. First cookies that comes to mind are these granola cookies: https://www.wellplated.com/granola-cookies/ and these flourless peanut butter cookies: https://www.wellplated.com/healthy-peanut-butter-cookies/ Hope this helps!
Love this recipe. I usually swap brown sugar for honey and vegetable oil for butter as my wife is allergic to dairy. These are quick and easy to make and not quite as unhealthy as regular cookies. Good way to sneak some fiber in too!
Thanks Sam!
Delicious and great texture! Will definitely remake and share.
Thank you Kerry!
Can I use Brown sugar instead of honey?
Hi Susan! I haven’t tried it myself but other readers have with success. Enjoy!
Thankful I only made 1/2 of this recipe to try. I ended up adding the whole eggplus more apple sauce & more honey. That helped to moisten the half of flour & oats.
The end result just doesn’t have the flavor.
Will eat for breakfast but sorry not again.
I’m sorry to hear, Janet. This recipe wouldn’t work well cut in half, in my opinion and that might of been the problem with the end result.
Made these last night – overall a good cookie!!
Good flavor but on the drier side and a bit on the dense side but a flavorful cookie
Need more moisture but otherwise a tasty healthy cookie!
Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed them, Ann Marie!
This recipe is amazing! I have made it two times already. Thank you for sharing:)
Thank you so much for sharing, BK!
hi!! new to baking, so i apologize if my question is slightly dumb ;;
is the cinnamon and apple sauce required in this recipe? I looked online and saw that you can substitute apple sauce for mashed bananas, so would that work instead? also, can this recipe use all purpose flower instead of wheat flower?
thank you!
Hi Koko, applesauce yes but you could try it with banana it is just not something I’ve tested. You can leave the cinnamon out and all-purpose flour works great in place of the white whole wheat flour. Enjoy!
I made these with 1/4 cup of honey, white chocolate chips, craisins and walnuts and they are excellent!
So glad to hear, Val! Thank you!
I love this recipe so much, i did it like 5 times! i used milk instead of the apple sauce and it turned out perfect :)!
So glad to hear, deekay! Thank you!